Inside the Opt Out Movement: The Role of Parent Protest in Educational Change

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

In 2014-2015 hundreds of thousands of families across the United States decided to opt-out of high stakes standardized testing. As a result of the efforts of these opt-out families; school leaders, education stakeholders, and policymakers are reexamining both the use of assessments and broader educational change efforts in the United States. The objective of this session is to provide greater insight into this complex educational change phenomena through a combination of first-hand accounts from the front-lines of the opt out movement and emergent empirical research on the topic. Key topics will include what rationale informs the opt-out strategy, what are the demographics of opt-out families, and an analysis of the impact of opt-outs on school report cards and teacher evaluations.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Educational Change

Chair

• Dennis Lynn Shirley, Boston College

Papers

• United Opt Out: Origins, Escapades, and Future Directions - Morna M. Mcdermott, Towson University; Timothy Slekar, Edgewood College

• Diversity in the Opt-Out Movement: An Analysis of Districts With High Percentages of Opt-Out Families - Michael P. Evans, Miami University - Oxford; Andrew Saultz, Miami University - Oxford

• Parental Rhetoric and Response to High-Stakes Testing: Social Media in the Opt-Out Movement - Rebecca Page Johnson, Elmira College

• Potential Opt-Out Implications for Schools, Teachers, and Principals - Jessica K. Beaver, Research for Action; Lucas Westmaas, Research for Action

Discussant

• Mindy L. Kornhaber, The Pennsylvania State University